Journey on the Other Side
by E-Kiarlic
Summary: There's no one blueprint for a Pokemon Trainer. Join Lana as she travels through the regions of Sinnoh and Unova to discover her true potential as a trainer. This unlikely journey will include Team Rocket and Team Plasma, with potential N/OC later on (depending on how the characters develop). Reviews always loved! :)
1. Chapter 1

_**Heya! This is my first time trying a Pokemon Fanfic, so your comments/reviews are valuable to me! I am basing it both the game and the anime, though I'm mostly sticking to the anime world. The storyline will sometimes hint at what happened in the anime, but many times it will be different. I hope you enjoy reading!**_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything related to Pokemon other than my ideas that are added to it. **:)**

* * *

Lana, a teen with long chestnut hair and brown eyes sat on a bench just outside of the Lilypad Colosseum. She wore a dark blue hoodie over a white t-shirt, black pants and sneakers. This fourteen-year-old had just arrived in Lilypad Town, found in the Sinnoh region, eager to participate in a competition for pokemon trainers. This was the first large-scale event that she would attend with her pokemon. Sitting next to her, a Raichu was enjoying watching their surroundings. A lot of people and their pokemon were passing by, chattering about the upcoming battles.

Lana took a deep breath and kept looking at the ground for a few moments. This made Raichu curious and get the urge to poke her trainer.

"Oh... I got distracted." the girl said. "I guess I'm just worried a bit."

Then, she decided to let out all of her pokemon. "Come on out everyone!"

In front of her appeared a Hoothoot and a shiny Chimchar. Raichu remained seated next to her trainer, though she greeted the two pokemon.

"Now, I'd just like to know if you're ready for the first tournament battle today." Lana asked.

"Chim! Chimchaaaaar!" The pokemon almost screamed and jumped into her arms for a hug. From her three pokemon, this one was the most emotional. This made her trainer laugh, feeling a little less tense.

Hoothoot calmly nodded in response the the question and rolled his eyes at the fire pokemon's behavior. Raichu's cheeks crackled with electricity, excited for the prospect of a battle.

Happy at the responses she received, she recalled all but Raichu to make it easier when walking through the crowd towards the entrance. She had registered the day before for the tournament, so after a sleepless night, she just wanted to win already. Her electric pokemon walked right next to her as they made their way to the contestant entrance.

"For the first round, we have Lana from Jubilife City!" Lana heard over the speakers. As the commentator said her name, she and Raichu glanced at each other nervously before stepping into the arena.

The audience started cheering and not only did Lana feel her heart skip a beat, but she also felt Raichu grabbing onto her leg. Looking down, she noticed the Raichu was trying to hide her face. "Shhh, it's okay Raichu... " She pet her head and looked across the field where her opponent was now entering the arena.

"Now, presenting Lana's opponent for this match, it's Jim from our very own Lilypad Town!" The commentator's voice boomed over the stadium. Everyone cheered again as the trainer calmly approached the battlefield. He had short black hair, green eyes and an air of arrogance. He wore blue shorts and a white t-shirt which had the words "#1 Trainer" inscribed on it.

"Hehe, ready to lose?" He called out and threw a pokeball at the field. A Tropius appeared! "My pokemon are going to shake you up!"

"Pff, as if!" Lana gave another reassuring pat to Raichu. "It's alright, I'll send out Chimchar so you'll have time to get comfortable, okay?" She whispered to the pokemon. Raichu nodded, but still held onto her trainer's leg. In an instant, the fiery pokemon appeared on the field.

"Cool, a shiny Chimchar, huh? I won't go easy on them for that though." Jim whispered to himself.

"Now, the battle may begin! To win, at least one of the three pokemon used in this round must remain standing." The commentator reminded them.

"Tropius, use Gust!" Jim shouted and the leaves on Tropius started moving to create a strong wind in the direction of Chimchar.

"Use protect!" Lana shouted and Chimchar managed to cover herself just before the attack could hit. "Now, use Ember!"

Tropius used gust again to try to push the fire away, though some of it still went through and burned it. "Tropius, use Synthesis!" The pokemon started shining with a green aura around it and the burn was healed!

"Quick Chimchar, Fury Swipes!" Chimchar ran up to the big pokemon and started scratching it with all of her strength. Lana wondered why Jim wasn't reacting to it, but was instead smiling.

"We got you right where we wanted you... Now! Use Stomp!" Jim pointed at Chimchar and Tropius suddenly got up on its hind legs and dropped onto the fire pokemon.

"No!" Lana tried thinking of something fast, but seeing her pokemon pinned made it difficult. "Um... Wait, I know, use Ember!" The little monkey shot fire right in Tropius' face. The pokemon fell back, releasing Chimchar.

Tropius staggered as it got back up and glared angrily at Chimchar, which was panting from being tired.

"Hmm... how about this ground move for yah?" Jim smiled. "Come on, use Earthquake!"

The shockwave from the earthquake threw Chimchar far off to the side of the stadium. The pokemon tried to get up, but ended up fainting. "Oh no, Chimchar! Are you okay?" Lana asked as she ran over to see her pokemon. "... you did your best. Take a good rest sweetie."

"Go, Hoothoot!" She called and watched the pokemon appear. "Use Peck!"

"Stop it with Gust!" Jim quickly added. Tropius tried doing so, but Hoothoot was faster and was able to attack. After another flyby, Tropius finally had enough and fainted.

"Ugh, so let's see if your Hoothoot can withstand my Medicham!" He said as he sent out his next pokemon.

"Huh? But... it's a fighting pokemon..." Lana whispered. Raichu had been watching the battle and was now only holding onto her trainer with one paw. She watched in awe as the flying pokemon seemed confident and ready to fight. "Either way, come on Hoothoot, peck once again!"

"Dodge it and meditate!" Jim commanded and the pokemon quickly evaded the attack. Medicham then stopped moving completely and closed its eyes.

"Now, Tackle it while it's not moving!" Lana shouted with a smile. She was already thinking about what kind of challenger she might face in the next round. The crowd seemed to be quiet in anticipation of what will happen next.

"Wait for it... A little more..." Jim looked on as the distance between the two was diminishing by the second.. "Now! Thunderpunch!"

"What?" She couldn't believe it. The Medicham suddenly bolted up and hit Hoothoot directly! Luckily for her, it wasn't a knock out hit, but Hoothoot definitely looked exhausted now. "Oh no, what do I do now?"

The audience was cheering for Jim, happy that someone from their hometown was full of surprises. Lana was lost for words, now remembering that she was being watched by hundreds of spectators. "Umm.. wait... What moves do you know?"

"Hoooooot." Her pokemon flew over to her, trying to ask what to do next.

"Raichu, Rai!" Her attention was caught by her Raichu who was now making a scary face. Next, the pokemon walked like a zombie. Lana finally realized what her pokemon was trying to tell her. She tried concentrating back on the match.

"Hypnosis!" She called out and her pokemon did it just in time before it got hit by an Ice Punch.

The opponent's pokemon fell asleep and was on the ground, snoring. "Hey! Wake up!"

"Use Tackle and then Peck!" Lana shouted with glee. As Hoothoot fulfilled her requests, she looked down at her electric pokemon. "Good job, thanks for reminding me Raichu."

The fighting pokemon fainted before waking up. Jim grumbled something, but was still smiling because he knew that Hoothoot was still tired from that Thunderpunch. He sent out his final pokemon, Shellos.

"It's a water pokemon! Raichu, you ready?" She asked her pokemon. Raichu took a step towards the field, but then jumped back and shook her head. Hoothoot sat down in front of Lana to let her know that he could continue. "Fine, but be careful, alright? Let's try Confusion now!"

"Shellos, Water Pulse!" Jim yelled so that the pokemon would counter the attack. The two attacks created a small explosion, which hit Hoothoot more due to it being in the air. Shellos held onto the ground with all of its force.

"Peck, Hoothoot!" She noticed that Hoothoot was noticeably weak, but hoped he could hold on a little more longer. "Now, confusion!" She said, changing what hoothoot should do up close.

"Water Pulse again!" Her competitor yelled. Shellos took the hit, but in return, sent Hoothoot flying because of its own attack. Suddenly, the pokemon started glowing. "Heh, about time." Its trainer added. Shellos evolved into a Gastrodon!

The bigger pokemon now sent a stronger Water Pulse attack and Hoothoot was unable to battle any longer. Lana looked at Raichu once again. "Come on, please battle, you're going to be great!"

"Rai..." The pokemon tentatively walked onto the battlefield. The cheering just made it crouch down, afraid of so many people. She heard her trainer say "Thunderbolt" and closed her eyes as she tried to hit Gastrodon. The first hit or two missed, but the third attempt finally hit the target. Unfortunately, the opponent's pokemon didn't seem to be affected that much!

"Huh? Why didn't it work?" Lana asked out loud. "Electric attacks are super effective against water types."

"Heh, that's because unlike Shellos, Gastrodon is both a Water and Ground-type pokemon." Jim answered casually.

"Let's try Brick Break then!" She shouted as Raichu slowly approached, still distracted by the spectators.

"This will be easy... Use Mud-slap!" Gastrodon suddenly slinged mud into Raichu's face with all of its might, throwing the pokemon onto its back.

"Raichu, use Dig!" Lana said as she noticed Raichu wiped the mud from her eyes. The electric pokemon happily went underground, possibly feeling less stressed with nobody watching underground.

"Now, for our finale!" Jim smiled in sync with Gastrodon. "Use Earthquake!"

"Oh, no!" Lana called out for Raichu, but it was too late. The earthquake shook her pokemon under the ground and with a small blast, threw the already-fainted Raichu out.

"With that, the winner of the first round is Jim!" The commentator shouted over the cheering audience.

Lana left slowly with Raichu in her arms, but once she was in the hallway, she started running to the Pokemon Center. She didn't even notice that she was crying by the time she got to her destination.

"Oh, my. Are you alright?" Nurse Joy asked when she saw the trainer and her Raichu.

"Yes, please, my pokemon need to be healed." The young trainer wiped away her tears and gently put Raichu on the counter.

Nurse Joy and Chansey got to work right away. An hour later, she returned with 3 pokeballs. "Here you go, they're all healed. They should take it easy today and starting from tomorrow, they'll be back to normal."

"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" Lana said, feeling very grateful. While she waited, she had time to think about what had happened. She wasn't looking forward to Chimchar's reaction, but she knew that the little fire pokemon would need to deal with their loss.

She left the Pokemon Center and ran off towards the edge of the city. She found a quiet area where she could sit down on a fallen tree trunk. Once she made sure she was alone, she let out her pokemon. Everyone was quiet for a moment, with both Raichu and Chimchar looking at the ground while Hoothoot simply gazed off into the distance.

The silence was suddenly broken by Chimchar's crying. Lana tried to console her, but the shiny pokemon pushed her away and started running around them while continuing to make noises.

* * *

Off in the distance, Team Rocket was walking through the forest, heading for the nearest city. They were thinking about what kind of pokemon to catch for the Boss when they saw a flash of light and what seemed to be lightning extending up into the sky.

"Hey, could that be the twerp's Pikachu?" Meowth asked his companions.

"Could be!" James said with a smile.

"Wait, weren't they in the other direction?" Jessie spoke up, but suddenly added: "Oh, who cares! Let's go see!"

The three all ran towards where they thought Pikachu was going to be. As they approached, they could hear Lana's Chimchar crying. The quietly peeked through the bushes to see what was happening. Raichu was seemingly trying to get Chimchar to calm down by catching it. Their trainer was sitting on a tree trunk and looking at her badge case with a frown. A Hoothoot was shaking its head in embarrassment as it watched the two pokemon.

"Hey, Meowth, what's that Raichu saying?" James asked quietly.

"Hmm..." Meowth listened in for a moment. "From what I hear, it's telling Chimchar to stop being a sore loser and a crybaby."

"I've got an idea, how about we grab that shiny pokemon for the Boss?" Jessie proposed. "As a matter of fact, maybe Raichu too! It could be nice to have a pokemon to counter Pikachu's electric attacks."

"Wait." Meowth lifted his paw, indicating them to be quiet. "Raichu just said that they lost a tough tournament battle... I think I've got an even better idea!"

Jessie and James huddled in closer together and listened to Meowth's plan. He continued: "We could get her to join our side and have an extra hand to help us win our battles!"

"If she just lost a battle, how's she going to help us win?" Jessie asked. She still preferred her idea, especially whenever she thought of having a shiny pokemon.

"Hey, even the twerp's lost battles before!" Meowth added. "Why, even-"

"Chuuuuuu!" Raichu could be heard nearby and another lightning bolt was sent into the sky.

"Wow, was that Thunder?" James asked Jessie, who was equally surprised.

This time around, Chimchar finally calmed down once her attention was drawn to Raichu's powerful attack. Unbeknownst to Team Rocket, this was Raichu's typical way of snapping Chimchar out of her frenzies without hurting her.

Suddenly, Hoothoot turned its gaze towards the bush behind which Team Rocket was hiding. It started flapping its wings and pointed in their direction to get everyone's attention.

"What's wrong Hoothoot?" Lana asked, looking in the same direction as her pokemon. Out of the bushes, Team Rocket decided that it was time to jump out. "Oh, who are you?"

"Just concerned citizens, wondering what's wrong!" Jessie said with the sweetest voice she could muster. "My name's Jessie. This is James and Meowth."

"My name's Lana." She said with a smile and before she could introduce her pokemon, she was interrupted.

"Yeah, we saw you having a problem with your Chimchar." Meowth added.

"Cool, a talking Pokemon!" Lana quickly walked up to Meowth, almost in disbelief.

"Heh, I get that a lot." He said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Enough about Meowth, what happened with your Chimchar?" Jessie interrupted to get the conversation she wanted back on track.

"Well, it's actually my fault..." Lana brought out her badge case again and showed it to them. "So far, I've only won two out of the four badges I wanted to win. Chimchar's just really upset that we lost in the tournament we were in. I keep trying to train my hardest to make my pokemon improve, but it's not working as well as I hoped it would."

Jessie and James glanced over at each other, wondering what exactly to say to fulfill their plan.

"You know, every trainer has their own way of learning." Jessie started.

"Yeah, I improved a lot by travelling in a group." James added, hoping to have said the right thing. When Jessie smirked, he was sure he did.

"I couldn't have said that better myself!" She suddenly sent out her Seviper. The giant snake studied Lana's pokemon and smirked. The Raichu went behind her trainer just to be on the safe side. "You see, my Seviper got so strong with me."

Lana approached it and smiled. "Yes, it does look quite strong. You accomplished this just by travelling all together?"

"Uh-huh!" Jessie continued. "Also, we don't try to compete for badges. We work for our organization, which means a little less stress on the specific goals and more options for improvement!"

"Wow, that sounds really amazing." The teen sighed, looking back at her own pokemon. ~_If only I could make you all stronger somehow..._~

"Heyyy, I've got an idea. How about you join us?" Meowth tried acting as surprised as he could, as if he just thought of it on the spot.

"Yes, that'd be a great idea!" James noted.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't just weigh you all down?" As Lana said that, her Chimchar ran up behind her, jumped on her shoulder and started chattering.

"I think Chimchar agrees." Meowth said. "I am sure you can reach your full potential if you travel with us!"

"Yeah, how about it?" Jessie asked.

After thinking it over, Lana stretched out her arm to shake their hands. "Count me in!"

* * *

Back at the Pokemon Center, Jim went inside to talk to Nurse Joy. He looked around as he approached the front desk.

"Hey, did you see a trainer named Lana pass by here?" He asked as he handed over 3 pokeballs.

"Why, yes, she was here earlier today. She seemed to be quite upset for some reason." Nurse Joy answered with a concerned expression.

"You wouldn't know where she went?"

"No. She thanked me and left. Why?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was just going to congratulate her on a good battle." Jim shrugged and went off to sit on one of the benches as he waited. He looked at his badges, happily counting that he only had 2 left before being admissible for the Sinnoh league.

* * *

**Author's note**: Ouch! Imagine, if she'd known that her tournament opponent was that far ahead of her... **:P** Anyway, as previously mentioned, this is my first time writing a Pokemon Fanfic. So, please let me know if I include too much information, too little or anything. The parts with battles in future episodes will most likely be shorter compared to the rest of the story because I don't think I'll have a 3 against 3 battle for quite a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**First, a big thank you once again to Shadow Serenity 57 for the helpful review! I can assure you that there'll definitely be a background story on how she got the Chimchar, but it will be in the next chapter, so hang on tight! :)**

* * *

Team Rocket was planning to catch up to Ash and his friends by crossing the mountainous region of Mt. Coronet. Jessie knew that they would be heading to the location of the next Pokemon Contest, which was in Solaceon Town.

"So, where are we heading again?" Lana asked as she walked slightly behind them. She had so many questions for her newfound friends, but she didn't want to annoy them by asking too many at a time.

"Solaceon Town." Meowth answered without turning back to face her.

"Oh... and we'll have to go through Mt. Coronet, huh?" She exchanged a nervous glance with Raichu that went unnoticed by Team Rocket.

"It's the fastest shortcut." James added with a nod.

Lana remained quiet for a moment, remembering something that happened a few years ago. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts, reminding herself that Mt. Coronet was a huge place and it wouldn't be very likely that she would run into someone from her past. She decided that enough time passed to ask another question.

"If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me more about your organization?" At the same time, she noticed Raichu was a little tired, so she picked her up in her arms.

"Well, I do mind!" Jessie shrugged, noticeably annoyed with all of these questions. James just laughed it off, muttering something along the lines of her being tired as an excuse.

Meowth suddenly spoke up. "Team Rocket... Well... Our organization deals with... uh... Pokemon. We catch 'em and bring them to the Boss." His speech was slow, as he was trying to think of a way of keeping Lana on their side without having too many lies to remember. "We're always on the lookout for strong pokemon."

The talking Pokemon approached Lana and now walked next to her as he continued his explanation. In front of them, Jessie and James were trying to walk casually while they listened in on what was being said. "I'll let you in on our next plan. We're trying to catch a strong Pikachu that travels with the twerps."

"Twerps?" Lana spoke up, starting to feel uneasy about where this was going.

"Oh, that's our codename for a specific group of trainers." He answered nonchalantly.

"Wait, you want to steal a trainer's pokemon?" She asked and stopped walking. Raichu jumped down from her arms and stood defensively in front of Lana.

"No, no, no. You've got it wrong!" Meowth waved his paws in front of his face. "We're the good guys! The twerp... uh, he got Pikachu illegally! He stole it from us!"

Lana shifted uncomfortably as the information sank in. Seeing that she was thinking about it made Team Rocket inwardly breath a sigh of relief. "But why did he steal Pikachu in the first place?"

"Because he can, that's why!" Jessie angrily waved her fist as she joined the conversation. "He's always been interfering with our plans! He and his pokemon have sent us blasting off more times than I could count!"

After a moment of silence, Lana was still unsure about what to do. "If you get Pikachu back, what will you do? You won't do experiments on it or anything like that?"

"Of course not, wherever did you get an idea like that?" Jessie now used the sweetest voice she could muster. "Pikachu would be the Boss' prized pokemon! He would treat it like anyone on his team."

"Hmm... I guess that sounds alright then." Lana mentioned and slowly started walking in the direction again.

"Rai-rai... Chu?" Raichu asked as she looked up at her owner.

"What do you mean, this sounds familiar?" Meowth asked, having heard what Raichu said. Jessie and James both turned their attention to the teen in their midst.

"It's nothing!" Lana said in a hurry. She pet Raichu on the head as she kneeled down to be face-to-face with her pokemon. "Right, Raichu?"

Raichu was only confused for a moment, but then nodded and scratched behind her ear as she smiled. While it was suspicious, Team Rocket was glad when they heard what Lana said next.

"Come on, we've got a Pikachu to save!"

* * *

In the distance, a scientist was sitting at a computer analyzing his most recent data. He was bald and wore thick round glasses that accentuated his big eyes. His white lab coat was a sharp contrast to his black pants. As he typed, he heard a knock on his window. Looking up, he noticed a Zubat.

"What is it?" He asked once he opened the window.

The pokemon flew inside and motioned to a wall where there were numerous tiny photos of pokemon. With a shrill screech that almost broke all of the glass in the room, the Zubat angrily flew from corner to corner.

"Have you heard it?" The scientist asked with furrowed brows. The pokemon nodded and kept flying around. "The one we lost... We'll get you back little one..."

He smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Take 126b with you. It'll be easier to locate them."

~_It's only a matter of time now._~ He thought.

* * *

After running into yet another flock of Zubats at the entrance of a cave, Team Rocket decided to take their hot air balloon to speed up their pace. Lana watched in awe as they went up higher and higher into the sky. As beautiful as it was, she couldn't help but clutch onto the side railing out of fear.

"It's alright, you'll get used to it eventually." James said when he noticed her rigidness.

~_I hate heights, I hate heights..._~ Lana thought. She was never up this high and the apparent fragility of the hot air balloon didn't help calm her down.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jessie exclaimed that she saw their target. She handed over her binoculars to James who then passed them to Lana after having seen the Pikachu.

"They're taking a break, so now's our chance to grab Pikachu!" Meowth jumped up temporarily and made the aircraft shudder for a moment. Team Rocket lowered their balloon so that they wouldn't be seen from the distance. As their altitude decreased, the teen eased her grip and started thinking about what they were going to do next. Was it really the best thing for Pikachu?

Ash, Dawn and Brock had been walking down the road headed to Solaceon Town. The contest there was still a couple days away.

They decided to take a break for lunch and were now enjoying their meal.

"You know Ash, after that last battle, Buizel would need to work on its speed." Dawn mentioned between taking bites out of her sandwich. Their pokemon were scattered over the open area, some eating closer to their trainers and some chatting with the other pokemon. Pikachu was sitting next to Chimchar and Buizel.

"Really? I thought Buizel was awesome! We just need to work on the attack succession." Ash replied with his mouth full.

"I'm just saying, I think Buizel-"

"Thanks Dawn, but we traded our pokemon. I don't tell you how to prepare Aipom for contests." Ash smiled and kept on eating. Dawn shrugged and turned her concentration to Piplup who was eating right next to her.

"Now, now... You two both care for your pokemon. You'll each bring out the best in them." Brock spoke up as he pet Happiny on the head. The little pokemon smiled and jumped up.

"You're right-" Dawn started, but was cut short.

"Pikapiiii!" Pikachu shouted out when it was grabbed in a special net by Team Rocket. They were standing in their hot air balloon which was still up in the air, though much lower than previously.

"Team Rocket! Give Pikachu back!" Ash yelled and ran towards the balloon. Pikachu tried to use Thunderbolt, but its electricity stayed contained in the net.

"Who's that?" Dawn asked when she saw someone new standing in the hot air balloon.

"No time for a motto chum, we're best to be off now!" James waved as the balloon started flying farther away from the group of trainers.

"Chimchar, use Ember!" Ash called out and watched as the little fire pokemon shot balls of fire out of its mouth towards the hot air balloon.

"Let's show your Protect!" Lana sent out her own Chimchar. She instantly held up her front paws and a light green aura appeared. The fireballs were stopped by the barrier, preventing anyone behind the pokemon from being injured. "A battle, huh?" She asked and motioned for the balloon to fly lower. After some hesitation, they set down so that Lana could get out. Team Rocket kept Pikachu close to them as they stood behind.

"My name's Lana." She mentioned and noticed her Chimchar climb up on her head, not wanting to battle another Chimchar. "Oh, you're sitting this one out?"

Seeing that she was distracted, Ash told Chimchar to Dig. The monkey pokemon dug his was underground and disappeared. Raichu jumped out and stood next to her trainer, trying to see from which side Chimchar would attack.

Suddenly, Ash's Chimchar dug out behind her and lunged at Team Rocket. As commanded by its trainer, the fiery pokemon used scratch to cut the net where Pikachu was held. Once Pikachu was free, it ran away from Team Rocket who were getting ready to send out their own pokemon. Before they could react, Ash told Pikachu to use Thunderbolt.

Surprisingly for Lana, the Pikachu turned to Team Rocket and jumped into the air while sparkling. In an instant, it shot a bolt of lightning at them. Raichu jumped in front of them and took the hit, not minding the electricity that it absorbed.

"Both Pikachu and Raichu have the hidden ability called Lightning Rod. It draws electrical attacks from other pokemon to themselves." Brock noted, explaining it to Dawn.

"Seriously? You'd use a Pokemon to attack people?" Lana asked Ash. As she did, all of the trainer's pokemon gathered and were ready to attack too.

"Uh-oh, it's time to go." Meowth said and, agreeing, Jessie sent out Seviper to use Haze. Smoke emerged out of its mouth and instantly covered the entire area.

Coughing, Lana felt two hands pull her back towards where the hot air balloon previously was. She held onto Raichu and Chimchar as she walked to make sure she wouldn't lose them. Once everyone was in and the aircraft started lifting them into the air, she smiled at her new friends.

"Thank you for not forgetting me out there." She said. She still couldn't believe how trainers could tell their pokemon to hurt people. She only knew one person so far in the past who has done that and he was evil to the core.

"We're a team now." Jessie explained.

"We look out for each other." James added, completing her sentence.

"Wobba-Wobba!" A tall blue pokemon emerged from a pokeball on its own and lifted one arm to its head. Its smile distracted Lana temporarily from what was happening with the so-called "twerps".

Down below, the smoke was cleared by Ash's Staravia using gust. Ash, Dawn and Brock saw Team Rocket's hot air balloon flying off into the distance.

"Oh no you don't! Staravia use Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted. Staravia flew up behind them and streaks of light surrounded its body. As both its speed increased and the intensity of the light, the pokemon burst through the hot air balloon.

In an instant, the balloon exploded, sending everyone flying off. "We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket screamed. Lana closed her eyes as she held onto Raichu and Chimchar with all of her might.

"If this ends here, might as well be with my Pokemon." Was the last thought she had as she continued to soar through the sky.

* * *

**So much could be resolved with a few clear conversations... :P Either way, I hope my writing was a little more clear with the battles and all. More will be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned! As always, R&R helps me improve and write faster! *Hint Hint***


End file.
